Toxic Clients, Fake Scaling, and Entrepreneurial Delusions

This week, we’re cutting through the BS of business: toxic clients, fake scaling, and wannabe entrepreneurs. Here’s the lineup:

🔥 Jimmy: Fire the nightmare client.
Not all money is good money. If a client makes you miserable and treats your team like their personal servants, show them the exit.

🎭 Bryan: The “New American Dream” is a cringe factory.
TikTok “gurus” and fake hustle bros are selling shortcuts to success, but it’s all smoke, mirrors, and Canva templates.

🚀 John: Live shopping is a circus.
$24,903 in 10 hours sounds sexy—until you’re buried in shipping chaos and begging viewers to stay. No playbook, just pure chaos.

📉 Amer: You’re not scaling—you’re spiraling.
If your brand looks like a garage sale with a million products and zero profit, congrats—you’re not scaling, you’re self-destructing.

Let’s get into it.

The Psychology of Pricing: Value vs Perception in eCommerce - EP45

We’re sitting down with special guest: Greg Dalby (SVP eCommerce at The Woobles) to unpack one of the trickiest levers in brand strategy: pricing. We’re breaking down real-world examples of brands like Champion, Milk Bar, Hyundai, and Sharper Image, diving into the psychological vs. economic pricing debate and what it means for perceived value, brand equity, and long-term growth. If you’ve ever wondered whether your price tag is helping or hurting your brand—this one’s for you.

Grab your headphones and check out the episode here!

Big thanks to our sponsors at: Omnisend and Alia

It’s Time to Fire Your Toxic Clients: STOP BEING A PUNCHING BAG!

Let’s have a straight-up conversation about that client who’s making you pul out your hair at 11am on a Tuesday. 

You know exactly which one I’m talking about. 

The one whose name makes your stomach knot when it appears in your inbox. 

The one who speaks to you like you’re something they scraped off their shoe. 

The one who’s “always right” even when they’re catastrophically, verifiably wrong.

Why the hell are they still your client?

There’s this bizarre complex in business where we think suffering through abusive client relationships is somehow noble or necessary. 

Like being treated like garbage is just the cost of doing business. 

As if your professional worth is measured by how much disrespect you can tolerate while still forcing a smile.

It’s not just unnecessary – it’s actively destroying your business from the inside out.

That toxic client isn’t just making you miserable. 

They’re:

• Burning out your team (who didn’t sign up to be emotional punching bags)

• Consuming 80% of your resources for 20% of your revenue

• Preventing you from serving clients who actually respect your work

• Teaching you that your boundaries don’t matter

• Literally shortening your lifespan with stress

Here’s the cold, hard truth: Not all money is good money. 

That $5K monthly retainer comes with a $50K cost in team morale, opportunity cost, and your mental health.

“But I need the revenue!” 

No, what you need is profit and sustainability. 

That toxic client is actively making you less profitable and less sustainable every day they remain on your roster.

The most successful companies I know aren’t the ones who never lose clients – they’re the ones who strategically fire clients who are no longer a fit. They understand that their business is a private party, not a public park. 

They get to decide who stays and who goes.

Your business isn’t a charity for the emotionally stunted. It’s not a training ground for adults who never learned basic respect. It’s not a place where abuse should be tolerated because someone’s paying you.

So here’s your permission slip: Fire that toxic client. Send the email. Have the call. End the relationship. Thank them for the opportunity to work together and wish them well finding a better fit.

Will it be uncomfortable? Yes.

 Will you lose some short-term revenue? Probably. 

Will you regain your dignity, time, energy, and passion for your work? Absolutely.

Because the truth is, the moment you fire that first toxic client is the moment you start running a real business instead of an abuse shelter. 

And trust me – there are plenty of wonderful clients out there who will value your work, respect your boundaries, and make you excited to show up each day.

It’s time to make room for them

The New American Dream has officially been streamlined into three easy steps:

 1. Start a TikTok.

 2. Buy a vending machine.

 3. Launch a SKOOL course on how to buy vending machines you found… on TikTok.

We used to call this “entrepreneurship.” Now it’s more of a multi-platform performance art piece.

Work ethic? Please.

I’ve got income streams and an AI tool that does everything but breathe for me.

I’m “optimizing scalability” from my couch while ChatGPT writes my emails, Canva builds my brand, and some poor Fiverr freelancer in another time zone makes it all look semi-legit.

Saw a 19-year-old post the other day: “I refuse to trade my time for money.”

King, you don’t even have a job.

You’re currently trading your mom’s Wi-Fi for half-baked crypto advice and the dopamine hit of refreshing Discord.

And let’s talk about the Hormozi disciples. Every time I open LinkedIn, I’m visually assaulted by shirtless thumbnails and bro-ey monologues yelling:

“BROOOO!! MONETIZE ATTENTION!!”

“SCALE OR DIE!!”

“PRODUCTIZE YOUR PERSONALITY, KING!!”

It’s like Gary Vee had a baby with a protein shake and taught it PowerPoint.

We used to build careers. Apprenticeships. Hard-earned expertise.

Now all you need is ChatGPT, Canva, and the ability to say “bro” 14 times per YouTube Short while pretending to drop a truth bomb.

Meanwhile, everyone’s peddling their own personal shortcut to financial freedom.

Usually priced at $297, marked down from $4,999 for the next 12 minutes only.

It’s not a course. It’s a “transformational blueprint to unlock your 10-figure potential™”.

And honestly? I respect the hustle.

Just not enough to buy your Notion template on how to “dominate vertical video in 2025.”

Anyway…

Catch me on my new SKOOL course:

“How to Build a Business Roasting Online Businesses”

Enrollment closes soon. Or never. Depends on the vibe.

You’re Not Scaling... You’re Spreading

Let’s get this straight...

You’re not scaling.
You’re spreading yourself thin like off-brand peanut butter on dry-crusty-bleeding toast.

Every time you launch another half-baked product line…
…Add a new “must-have” feature…
And then, spin up a new marketing play without a strategy...

You’re not scaling.

You’re panicking.

Scaling is intentional.
Scaling is systems.
Scaling is boring, repeatable, operational excellence.

What you’re doing is digital whack-a-mole with your brand’s future.

And here’s the kicker...
You think you’re growing because the top-line revenue keeps crawling upward.
But margins are crumbling, ops are breaking, team morale is nose-diving, and your product catalog looks like a confused garage sale.

Real scaling doesn’t mean “do more”...
It means do better.

McDonald's scaled with three menu items and a machine-like process.
You? You’ve got 947 SKUs, none of which are optimized, and your ops are duct-taped together with Notion docs and Slack threads.

This isn’t entrepreneurship...
It’s chaos cosplaying as ambition.

Spreading feels productive.
It keeps you busy.
It makes you feel like you’re hustling.

But it’s a mirage.

You want to scale?
Start saying no.
Cut 80% of what’s not moving the needle.
Get intimate with your margins. Reaaalllly intimate.
Build a machine before you pour more gas.

Because scaling is multiplication...
But you’re still out here adding like just because everyone else is.

Stop spreading.
Not just yourself, but your entire team.
Start scaling.
Or get ready to be the next cautionary tale.

Choose wisely.

Everyone wants the upside of live shopping.

No one wants the operational nightmare.

Shipping products to hosts who don’t live at the warehouse.
Testing show times like it’s a science experiment.
Running giveaways every 30 minutes just to keep viewers from bailing.

It’s chaos.
But it works.

We’re four shows in on Whatnot.
No playbook. No training wheels. Just real reps.

$24,903 in sales across 10 hours of airtime.
That’s $2,490 per hour.
And an AOV of $88 that makes TikTok Shop look like a clearance bin.

This is not plug and play.
This is roll-up-your-sleeves and figure-it-out-as-you-go.

But the upside?
The upside is wild.

We’re not scaling yet.
We’re figuring out how to figure it out.

Because while most brands are still debating whether live shopping is worth testing,
we’re already in the arena.

Getting punched.
Learning fast.
And laying the groundwork for what might become our next 7-figure sales channel.

And that’s a wrap on this week’s unfiltered takes! If you’re hooked on our no-BS rants (or just love the chaos), be sure to hit that Subscribe button and let us keep your inbox spicy. 🌶️

And of course, don’t be selfish—share with your friends, coworkers, or anyone who needs a wake-up call from their boring newsletters.

Have an ASOM day ✌️